Consider the Light

James Turrell from THE VIEWMAKERS’ STUDIO on Vimeo.

Without light there would be darkness. Light allows the eye to see and the mind to perceive, color, value, texture and shape. James Turrell’s exploration of light as an end unto itself, causes the viewers of his work to consider its power, and to experience its spiritual qualities.

Turrell comes from a Quaker background, spending hours in meetinghouses with his grandmother, learning to “wait upon” and to “greet” the light, in quiet meditation.

Consider Genesis 1, as you listen to Turrell talk about his work.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. (ESV)